So for about the last 10 or 11 years I have been working out pretty consistently, and I have fallen into the habit offinishing up my weight workout, run, ride, etc with either a powdered (whey) protein or recovery drink. But have been plagued by the same issue over and over again, substandard shaker/blender bottles. Over the years I have tried a handful of GNC’s various designs, a couple different designs fromBodybuilding.com, various other companies, and even the one with the motor that blends it for you (which worked well until the motor was subjected to moisture.) Which all usually start out working great, then start dripping, leaking, or completely coming apart and spilling the contents everywhere. Some contain little gaskets or “O” rings that fall out in the dishwasher, sink, etc.
Wellseveral months back I ordered a Hammer Nutrition Blender Bottle. Upon receiving it, I felt the immediate need to try it out. Firstglance was that the lid and flip capwere made of heavy duty thick plastic, and there was no gaskets to lose.Still gunshy, from multiple mishaps of whey splatters on thekitchen cabinets, hardwood floor, or myself, I held itover the sink I gave it a whirl. The result:No leaks, everything was mixed, no chunks. Perfect! But how long would it last? Well it has been apprx 8 months with constant use, and it still performs like the day it arrived on my doorstep. I have since bought another one and have them both in constant rotation. The stainless steel blender ball works like a champ, no chunks, although it does sound like you are shaking a spray paint can when you are shaking it, but a small price to pay in my book.
Pros: Well made, sturdy construction,blender ball mixes contents perfectly, no gaskets or “O” rings to lose, no leaks, Dishwasher safe, and of course BPA free.
Cons: Might be too small for some applications because it is only 16 oz (although I have not had any problems).
I have had discussions with many a cyclist and runner in the Fox Valley area, on the frustrations of having a mile long strip of the Fox River Bike Path closed due to construction at the new Stearns Road bridge. The closure effectively isolates me in South Elgin with no viable detour around the site and the fact that there is another large section of trail closed less than 2 miles north of South Elgin.
Little did I know, the wormhole goes MUCH deeper. It seems construction is an effort to cover up a Top Secret UFO landing site, which I have dubbed Area 31. Now that I know the facts, I will keep my eyes to the sky.
Only 2 weeks after the release of this fine example of journalism, video evidence of a UFO was documented. You can very un-clearly see an Unidentified Flying Object rotating on a vertical axis.
I am neither confirming nor denying that someone I know, may or may not have snuck through said construction site just last night to get a short ride in and test out his new helmet cam, but the general feeling around town at that time seemed to be of utter ignorance and/or sheer indifference. I will be watching the developments with great interest.
Well Ive found my dream job. What combines technology, the written word, cycling, AND the fight against cancer? I want to be a Nike / Livestrong Chalkbot operator.
If youve been watching the Tour De France you may have noticed yellow messages of hope written on the course ahead of the riders. These are messages written by the Livestrong Chalkbot. The messages themselves are composed by people on Chalkbot’s Twitter or text message all over the world. The inspirational messages are of hope and remembrance for those effected by cancer. My favorite so far is entitled Dear Cancer:
Dear Cancer...
The technology behind Chalkbot is pretty cool. Messages are received, reviewed, and then queued on a computer aboard the truck towing the Chalkbot, then printed in emulsified chalk on the course of the Tour much like an old dot-matrix printer.
Two Fox Valley residents, Aaron Drendel and Jake Mullins, from Batavia, IL are paddling the length of the Mississippi River in their canoe to raise money and awareness for b****t Cancer. As of the day Im writing this, they have travelled 1494 miles down the river after starting at the head waters of Lake Itasca, MN. The total for their planned trip is 2,320mi.
According to The Kane County Chronicles article on them this week, they have braved bears, tornados, poison ivy and, as they near the Gulf of Mexico, they are concerned that the Oil Spill in the Gulf will prevent them from completing their trip 100 miles south of New Orleans. Their Canoe for the Cure Blog states that the BP Oil Spill has begun to impact Lake Pontchartrain just north of New Orleans. Aaron and Jake are currently ahead of schedule by nearly a week, planning to reach the Big Easy on July 17th where they will find out if they are able to continue their paddle down the delta.
The boys were inspired to attempt this test of endurance by Aarons mother, Missy Scardina, who is a b****t cancer survivor. Missy is in her 3rd year of remission. Aaron and Jake are raising funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure and have already raised over $5,000 to fight b****t Cancer.
If you would like to follow their journey or donate visit their Blog at:
Our group was small but mighty this year at the 41st Annual Swedish Days Ride organized by The Fox Valley Bicycle & Ski Club in Hampshire, IL near Burlington, IL. The weather report was questionable, but we decided to go give it a try. As it turns out wed face a number of weather variables including driving rain, thunder & lightning, more rain, then high winds, and finally blazing sun as we ran the ride course.
We started out early and made great time in our first 20mi. But around mile 10 we started to notice large storm clouds rolling in. The storm chased us for the next 30min, we watched warily as lightning strikes flashed on the horizon and thunder peeled through the farm country we were riding through. It started to rain soon thereafter. We started to notice more and more fellow cyclists ducking for cover wherever they could, borrowed porches, barns, sheds, and the occasional tree. The rain was coming down but we pushed on towards the first rest-stop, arriving just in time to join about 50 other bikers under the first forest preserve shelter. Moments after we arrived the skies opened up and it POURED!
Seeking Shelter at the Forest Preserve
It rained hard for a good 45 minutes, watching the news later they said it rained an inch in an hours time. The shelter thankfully had a connected bathroom. The stranded cyclists shared observations on the rain, shared cell phone weather reports (my WeatherBug iPhone App was particularly popular). We had to shuffle in towards the center of the shelter with our bikes as the flood waters slowly encroached.
It Really Came Down
Finally, the rain subsided just enough and we rode farther into the forest preserve to reach the very well stocked rest-stop, filled up our water bottles and grabbed some snacks. The news among the riders was that there would be an hour break in the rain, so we took off again. We rode for maybe 10mins when it started to pour again, we had reached a stretch with no convenient shelter, so we powered on in hopes of finding someplace to get out of the rain. We never found one. Again the rain slowed down. A very nice couple in a car pulled up and offered for us to come to their house for some coffee and a dry place to rest, which was extremely kind. However, I made the executive decision that it seemed like the rain was letting up and we should continue on. Finally the rain stopped and though we were all soaking wet, we were in good spirits. Shortly thereafter the sun came out and soon enough wed gone from soaked to dry and back to soaked with sweat as the hot, sunny, humid temperature settled in. The middle portion of our ride went very well and the miles flew by.
As we got farther south near Tollway 88, the west wind really picked up and the sun blazed, forcing us to share short pulling duty to cut the wind for the rest of the group. Finally, we turned back north for the home stretch. The last rest-stop in Maple Park, the Club Mexicana was my personal favorite. The stop had Gatoritas (Frozen Gatorade Margaritas, virgin of course) and nachos. I had a quick Gatorita, but passed on the nachos, which Im not known to do. I love nachos but decided that they might not sit well as race fuel.
I briefly suggested that we follow the arrows for the double metric century ride, but was shot down sternly by the group. The general response was You go right ahead, well see you at the finish. I decided to stay with the group. With the wind at our backs the final miles went quickly. We finished the 100mi century ride together, very happy to finally be done. I earned one of the best cycle jersey tans yet.
The Epic Cycle Jersey Tan
Overall, the ride was quite the experience. The weather ran every extreme except for snow. But the ride was well run, all of the volunteers from The Fox Valley Bicycle & Ski Club were very helpful, polite and laid out great themed spreads at every rest-stop. The course was well marked with color coded arrows and there were marked SAG vehicles patrolling every section of the ride. We had two unpleasant encounters with motorists on back roads. We always ride respectfully, single file, hugging the shoulder. Yet an older gentleman passed us travelling at least 45mph giving us only about 10in of clearance. I stood up and sprinted forward in an attempt to let him know in no uncertain terms about the 3ft law, but was unable to catch him at the stop sign. The next encounter was an older model red pickup truck who, while giving us plenty of clearance, made it very clear the he didnt like cyclists on his road by laying on the horn and showing us an unpleasant gesture out his window. We found that one slightly funny. Despite the weather and the occasional bike hater we had a great time. The ride organizers and volunteers get the highest marks. We plan on attending next year for the 42nd Annual Swedish Days Ride.
Sometimes to move a mountain, you have to climb one. I read this Daily Herald article today with great interest. A local private practice surgeon specializing in b****t Cancer, Bob Maganini, will be riding his bike 1,000 plus miles to the base of Pikes Peak in Colorado, where he will put down the bike and hike to the 14,000ft summit. The trip, christened Bike2thePike (Bike2thePike.com), will be done in 10-14 days according to the planned itinerary. His ride is to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the American Brain Tumor Association. He plans to raise over $25,000 for both charities. I visited his site to check out what hed be riding, looks like hell be pedaling a tricked out Colnago C50.
His career is obviously connected to b****t Cancer, but he also has a family connection to Brain Cancer. His brother, Rich, was diagnosed with a malignant grade 3 brain tumor in the spring of 2009 and underwent three brain surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy. According to the Daily Herald he has been cancer-free since the surgeries.
Truly an amazing story, we at Cancer Endurance wish Dr. Bob the best of luck, a stiff tail wind, and a flat-free ride. Ive provided direct links to his fundraising pages below.
What is your inspiration? The writing staff at CancerEndurance.com frequently participates in Team in Training events for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, it’s actually how we all met. The motivation and emotion that comes from the stories of those we’ve lost to cancer, those fighting cancer, those that have survived cancer are an incredible push when you want to give up on that last marathon mile or that last hill of a century ride. A great quote from the video to follow, “If you think training is hard, try chemo.”
This video is one of those amazing stories. My family had the honor to be at the Inspirational Dinner for Team in Training before the Elkhart Lake Triathlon when the story of Lauryn, who has Leukemia and her grandfather, Tom Rushworth was featured. Tom ran the Olympic Distance Triathlon at Elkhart lake to “honor his personal hero” and granddaughter, Lauryn. His story was featured on the news in Indianapolis. Tom is a member of the Indiana Team in Training Chapter.
Tom finished despite suffering a torn aorta days before the race, which he didn’t realize. Truly an amazing story.
Just got an email on a Chicagoland ride this weekend in the near western burb of Westchester, IL. They offer a couple different ride lengths, 12, 25, and 50 miles. The 25 and half century goes around Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve, which is beautiful. There are a number of well stocked rest stops on every length and Pauls Pizza at the finish line. Any ride with pizza at the end is a good ride. Coffee and juice at the start, as well. Get out and Ride!!!
Huge congratulations are in order for Abbe Burke, my most frequent training partner and toughest race competition. She also happens to be my mother. At the Elkhart Lake Triathlon she achieved two huge milestones.
